Glenn Beck Says He Has A Rare Neurological Disease That Makes Him ‘Look Crazy’

Glenn Beck announced today that he has been suffering from “a string of health issues that, quite honestly, has made me look crazy. And, quite honestly, I have felt crazy because of them.”

In a lengthy, melodramatic and teary monologue, Beck revealed the bizarre story of his autoimmune disorder and adrenal fatigue. He cited “vocal chord paralysis,” “strange eyesight problems,” “seizure-like states” and very painful neuropathy. It has been going on for five years, while he was still on Fox. Beck said he worked out hand signals with his crew at Fox so they’d know when to take the camera off him.

“Most afternoons my hands will start to shake or my hands and feet begin to curl up and I become in a fetal position. When it gets real bad, my friends just kind of try to uncurl me,” Beck said.

Beck said he was told he’d have between 5-10 years “before I would no longer be able to function.”

Fortunately, Beck is now receiving treatment that, he says, has reversed the process.

Not surprisingly, Beck credits God.

At the same time my body and brain were shutting down, my spirit was growing stronger. He was humbling me. He was making our relationship stronger.

…My doctors told me that it was my faith in God that was powering me through all of this.

According to Beck, his doctors told him, “’This should strengthen your faith in God because when we all looked at these (test results), you should not be able to get out of bed in the morning. You shouldn’t be able to function.’ It was a miracle that I was moving. It was my faith in God.”

Now, I do not wish harm on anyone, not even Beck. And I have no doubt that Beck has been suffering from something. I won't even dismiss the possibility of God providing some kind of path to a cure. But Beck is a huckster with a penchant for crass melodrama and there’s something about this story that just doesn’t feel quite right to me. However, I’ll take the guy at his word until I’ve got some evidence pointing elsewhere.

You can watch Beck’s video below and/or share your thoughts on the matter.

Do you like this post?

Showing 20 reactions

Allow me to explain my reaction to Beck’s tale a little further. I am, frankly, suspicious. Beck’s monologue is very reminiscent of the kind of BS he used to spew on Fox and even the way he spewed it. However, I have zero evidence that he’s not telling the truth. Furthermore, there are lots of other people involved who can corroborate or discredit his story. That would give me pause before I went on TV with a concocted story about a serious illness. It gives me pause in accusing him of lying.

Until there are some actual grounds for thinking he is not telling the truth, I have to assume he is. Could he be stretching the truth? Absolutely, and that is where I’d put my money if I were to bet on this.

I did not mean to make light of any seizure or other infirmity Beck may suffer or have suffered from. I was sneering at Beck’s grandiosity and melodrama. Frankly, anybody I respect would have conveyed this news with real humility and in a fraction of the time.

Lastly, as despicable as I find Beck, I proudly reiterate that I do not wish ill on him or any other being. Period.

Exactly, Blue- Beck is a pretty well documented liar, and remember when he was supposed to be completely blind in a year? He went into almost excessive detail about that, even before he knew the name of the condition.

Here, it’s just him spouting off very vague generalities, and talking about a doctor who violated patient confidentiality to tell him about someone else’s case to the point where he could talk about it at the same level as his own case.

I’m sorry, but I’d like to know the name of the doctor who’ll just tell other patients about your case in detail. Because if this is for real, I’m never going to him.

No one is making negative commentary on people who suffer neurological problems. We are strictly dealing with the illness of a known charlatan. It would be hypocritical of us to pretend that Beck is a great guy just because he may be ill.

Chuck, when we have proof of how hateful and spiteful *you*’ve been BEFORE revealing your “rare neurological disease” in the same manner that Beck has been for these past couple of decades, then we’ll talk “classy.”

Beck has had ZERO problem with badmouthing others and he has NEVER attacked his fellow conservative commentaters on their personal attacks on people with diseases or debillitating conditions—largely because those people dared to be “not conservative.”

Sorry about your personal woes, but I’ll guarantee you that if you were a well-known liberal or progressive personality, Beck wouldn’t hesitate in attacking your post-seizure life. As I noted in my earlier comment, right-wingers don’t have a problem attacking people with medical problems, so why the hell should I be expected to be better than they are? To right-wingers, sympathy or empathy is a weakness to be exploited.

Beck has always been at the top of my list of people most likely to start a religious cult. He already has a loyal following and seemed to be trying to start something religious from his 9/12 project. So I’m extremely skeptical that this illness is all that he has claimed. In a few months, I expect he’s going to announce some project related to this that will require donations.

I am really conflicted on this. I’ve never wished ill on anyone during my adult life, and yet, I’m estranged from my OWNSISTER mainly because she insists that Beck and The Blaze provide our most reliable news sources.

Heh.
Well, of course he’s crazy! He simply must not be making the same bucks from the crazy that he has in the past, so he’s now going to attempt to capitalize on the ‘illness’ card.
I’m not feeling very noble this morning, Ellen, but I won’t wish ill on this miserable cretin. However, I do feel that it would be fitting if he had to live some portion of the remainder of his life mumbling and cackling senselessly while shitting in his diaper.

Ellen’s thought about not wishing harm on anyone is noble. Glenn Beck cannot say the same, unfortunately. Regardless of his personal issues, this is a man who publicly mused about his wish to strangle Michael Moore to death – and he did this years before he joined Fox News. It is unfortunate if he is suffering from an illness, but he showed no such compassion for others.

“However, I’ll take the guy at his word until I’ve got some evidence pointing elsewhere.”

Really, Ellen? Why? As you noted, the man’s a huckster. He’s lied about stuff in the past, he’ll lie about stuff in the future. I would NOT put it past the “man” to be lying about his “rare neurological disease” in an effort to get sympathy from his deluded viewers and listeners (and, perhaps, weasel a few more bucks out of them in the process).

As for your not wishing harm on Beck and your lack of doubt that he’s been suffering from something, well, I don’t believe it for a minute. The sooner the “man” dies, the better this world will be. He’s a scam artist. He’s a boil on the collective butt of humanity. If he’s been suffering from something, he damn well deserved it. (Right-wingers haven’t been shy in saying any number of people have “deserved” whatever physical ailments they’ve come down with. I’m just taking a play out of their book. And I do NOT apologize for it.)